UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF

ARCHITECTURE
Bachelor of Architecture
Structure Design-II (ART-336)

PRESTRESSED CONCRETE DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER

 PRESTRESSE
D
CONCRETE
Course Outcome 
CO Title Level
Number

CO1 Explain the Prestressed concrete. Remember

 
CO1 Explain the basic propertes of Prestressed concrete. Understand 
 
CO2 Explain the losses in Prestressed concrete. Understand

CO2 Explain the types of Prestressed concrete. Understand

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Prestressed Concrete
PRESTRESS
Internal stresses are induced in a member to counteract the external stresses
which are developed due to the external loads or service loads

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 CONCEPT
• Prestressed concrete is basically concrete in which internal stresses of a suitable magnitude and distribution are
introduced so that the stresses resulting from the external loads are counteracted to a desired degree.

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 Terminology
• 1. Tendon: A stretched element used in a concrete member of structure to impart
prestress to the concrete.

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2. Anchorage: A device generally used to enable the tendon to impart
and maintain prestress in concrete.

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3.Pre-tensioning: A method of prestressing concrete in which the
tendons are tensioned before the concrete is placed. In this method, the
concrete is introduced by bond between steel & concrete.

4.Post-tensioning: A method of prestressing concrete by tensioning the

tendons against hardened concrete. In this method, the prestress is
imparted to concrete by bearing.

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Materials for prestress concrete members
Cement:

The cement used should be any of the following

• Ordinary Portland cement conforming to IS269

• Portland slag cement conforming to IS455. But the slag content should not be
more than 50%.

• Rapid hardening Portland cement conforming to IS8041.

• High strength ordinary Portland cement conforming to IS8112.

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 Concrete
• Prestress concrete requires concrete, which has a high compressive strength
reasonably early age with comparatively higher tensile strength than ordinary
concrete.

• The concrete for the members shall be air-entrained concrete composed of

Portland cement, fine and coarse aggregates, admixtures and water.

• The air-entraining feature may be obtained by the use of either air-entraining

Portland cement or an approved air-entraining admixture.

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• The entrained air content shall be not less than 4 percent or more than 6 percent.

• Minimum cement content of 300 to 360 kg/m3 is prescribed for the durability
requirement.

• The water content should be as low as possible

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 Steel
•High tensile steel , tendons , strands or cables The steel used in prestress shall be any one of the
following:-

• Plain hard-drawn steel wire conforming to IS1785 (Part-I & Part-III)

• Cold drawn indented wire conforming to IS6003

• High tensile steel wire bar conforming to IS2090

• Uncoated stress relived strand conforming to IS6006

High strength steel contains:

• 0.7 to 0.8% carbons,
• 0.6% manganese,
• 0.1% silica
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Durability, Fire Resistance & Cover
Requirements For P.S.C Members:-
According to IS: 1343-1980
• 20 mm cover for pretensioned members

• 30 mm or size of the cable which ever is bigger for post tensioned

members.

• If the prestress members are exposed to an aggressive environment,

these covers are increased by another 10 mm.
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Necessity of high grade of concrete & steel
• Higher the grade of concrete higher the bond strength which is vital in
pretensioned concrete, Also higher bearing strength which is vital in
post-tensioned concrete.

• Generally minimum M30 grade concrete is used for post-tensioned &

M40 grade concrete is used for pretensioned members

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History and development of prestress of PSC

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15
Forms of Prestressing Steel
• Wires: Prestressing wire is a single unit made of steel.

• Strands: Two, three or seven wires are wound to form a prestressing strand.

• Tendon: A group of strands or wires are wound to form a prestressing tendon.

• Cable: A group of tendons form a prestressing cable.

• Bars: A tendon can be made up of a single steel bar. The diameter of a bar is
much larger than that of a wire.

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 Bonded tendon
When there is adequate bond between the prestressing tendon and concrete, it is
called a bonded tendon. Pre- tensioned and grouted post-tensioned tendons are
bonded tendons.

Unbonded tendon
When there is no bond between the prestressing tendon and concrete, it is called
unbonded tendon. When grout is not applied after post-tensioning, the tendon
is an unbonded tendon.

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18
 Stages of Loading
The analysis of prestressed members can be different for the different stages of
loading. The stages of loading are as follows.

1) Initial: It can be subdivided into two stages.

a) During tensioning of steel

b) At transfer of prestress to concrete.

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2) Intermediate: This includes the loads during transportation of the prestressed
members.

3) Final: It can be subdivided into two stages.

a) At service, during operation.

b) At ultimate, during extreme events.

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 Advantages of Prestressing
• Section remains uncracked under service loads

• Reduction of steel corrosion

• Increase in durability

• High span-to-depth ratios

• Larger spans possible with prestressing (bridges, buildings with large column-free spaces)

• Suitable for precast construction

• Larger spans possible with prestressing (bridges, buildings with large column-free spaces)

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 Limitations of Prestressing
• Prestressing needs skilled technology. Hence, it is not as common as reinforced
concrete.

• The use of high strength materials is costly.

• There is additional cost in auxiliary equipments.

• There is need for quality control and inspection.

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SURPRISE

TEST

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NUMERICAL PROBLEM 1(SURPRISE
TEST, TIME : 40 Minutes)
• A Beam is curved in Plan in the form of arc of a circle with radius R= 6 m and
central angle equal to 90°. The beam carries a superimposed load of 12 KN/m,
and is fixed at the both ends. If the section of the Beam is rectangular, having
depth= 680 mm and width = 250 mm, Determine Shear force, Bending moment
and torsional moment at Salient points and plot Shear force, Bending moment and
torsional moment diagrams for the beam, Take G= 0.7E for Concrete.

Er. Mohit Bajaj 24

Types of Prestressing
• External or internal prestressing

• Pre-tensioning or post-tensioning

• Linear prestressing
• Full, limited or partial prestressing
• Uniaxial, biaxial or multi-axial prestressing

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 EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL PRESTRESSING
This classification is based on the location of the prestressing tendon with respect to
the concrete section.

External Prestressing

• When the prestressing is achieved by elements located outside the concrete, it is

called external prestressing. The tendons can lie outside the member (for example in
I-girders or walls) or inside the hollow space of a box girder. This technique is
adopted in bridges and strengthening of buildings. In the following figure, the box
girder of a bridge is prestressed with tendons that lie outside the concrete.
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27
Internal Prestressing

When the prestressing is achieved by elements located inside the

concrete member (commonly, by embedded tendons), it is called
internal prestressing. Most of the applications of prestressing are
internal prestressing. In the following figure, concrete will be cast
around the ducts for placing the tendons.

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29
 PRE-TENSIONING AND POST-TENSIONING
This is the most important classification and is based on the sequence of casting the concrete and

applying tension to the tendons.

Pre-tensioning: The tension is applied to the tendons before casting of the concrete. The pre

compression is transmitted from steel to concrete through bond over the transmission length near

the ends. The following figure shows manufactured pre-tensioned electric poles.

Post-tensioning: The tension is applied to the tendons (located in a duct) after hardening of the

concrete. The pre compression is transmitted from steel to concrete by the anchorage device (at

the end blocks). The following figure shows a post-tensioned box girder of a bridge.

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31
32
 LINEAR OR CIRCULAR
PRESTRESSING
This classification is based on the shape of the member prestressed.

Linear Prestressing

When the prestressed members are straight or flat, in the direction of

prestressing, the prestressing is called linear prestressing. For example,
prestressing of beams, piles, poles and slabs. The profile of the prestressing
tendon may be curved. The following figure shows linearly prestressed
railway sleepers.

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34
Circular Prestressing

When the prestressed members are curved, in the direction of

prestressing, the prestressing is called circular prestressing. For
example, circumferential prestressing of tanks, silos, pipes and similar
structures. The following figure shows the containment structure for a
nuclear reactor which is circularly prestressed.

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36
Circular pre stressing
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 FULL, LIMITED OR PARTIAL PRESTRESSING

Based on the amount of prestressing force, three types of prestressing are defined.
Full Prestressing When the level of prestressing is such that no tensile stress is
allowed in concrete under service loads, it is called Full Prestressing (Type 1, as per IS:
1343 - 1980).
Limited Prestressing When the level of prestressing is such that the tensile stress
under service loads is within the cracking stress of concrete, it is called Limited
Prestressing (Type 2).
Partial Prestressing When the level of prestressing is such that under tensile stresses
due to service loads, the crack width is within the allowable limit, it is called Partial
Prestressing (Type 3).
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 UNIAXIAL, BIAXIAL OR MULTI-AXIAL PRESTRESSING
As the names suggest, the classification is based on the directions of prestressing a
member

Uniaxial Prestressing : When the prestressing tendons are parallel to one axis, it
is called Uniaxial Prestressing. For example, longitudinal prestressing of beams.

Biaxial Prestressing :When there are prestressing tendons parallel to two axes, it
is called Biaxial Prestressing.

Multiaxial Prestressing: When the prestressing tendons are parallel to more than
two axes, it is called Multiaxial Prestressing. For example, prestressing of domes.

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Source of Prestressing Force

• Hydraulic Prestressing

• Electrical Prestressing

• Mechanical Prestressing

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FORCE HYDRAULIC PRESTRESSING

This is the simplest type of prestressing, producing large prestressing

forces. The hydraulic jack used for the tensioning of tendons,
comprises of calibrated pressure gauges which directly indicate the
magnitude of force developed during the tensioning.

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42
MECHANICAL PRESTRESSING
• In this type of prestressing, the devices includes weights with
or without lever transmission, geared transmission in
conjunction with pulley blocks, screw jacks with or without
gear drives and wire-winding machines. This type of
prestressing is adopted for mass scale production.

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44
ELECTRICAL PRESTRESSING
• In this type of prestressing, the steel wires are electrically heated and
anchored before placing concrete in the moulds. This type of
prestressing is also known as thermoelectric prestressing.

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46
Differences of Prestressed Concrte Over
Reinforced Concrete
• In prestress concrete member steel plays active role. The stress in steel
prevails whether external load is there or not. But in R.C.C., steel
plays a passive role. The stress in steel in R.C.C members depends
upon the external loads. i.e., no external load, no stress in steel.

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• In prestress concrete the stresses in steel is almost constant where as in R.C.C
the stress in steel is variable with the lever arm.

• Prestressed concrete has more shear resistance, where as shear resistance of

R.C.C is less.

• In prestress concrete members, deflections are less

• In prestress concrete fatigue resistance is more compare to R.C.C

• In prestress concrete dimensions are less because external stresses are

counterbalance by the internal stress induced by prestress

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 Analysis of Prestress Member
Basic assumption:

1. Concrete is a homogenous material.

2. Within the range of working stress, both concrete & steel behave elastically, not
withstanding the small amount of creep, which occurs in both the materials under
the sustained loading.

3. A plane section before bending is assumed to remain plane even after bending,
which implies a linear strain distribution across the depth of the member

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Concentric tendon

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Eccentric tendon

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52
 Analysis at Transfer and at Service
• Based on stress concept.

• Based on force concept.

• Based on load balancing concept.

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Based on Stress Concept

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Based on Force Concept

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Based on Load Balancing Concept
a) For a Parabolic Tendon

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NUMERICAL PROBLEM 1
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 400 mm × 600 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed
load of 256 KN over a span of 6m. Sketch the distribution of stresses
at mid- span and end sections if the prestressing force is 1920 KN and
the tendon is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 200 mm above the
bottom fibre.

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SOLUTION

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59
 Numerical Problem 2
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 430 mm × 650 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed load
of 280 KN over a span of 5m. Sketch the distribution of stresses at mid-
span and end sections if the prestressing force is 1890 KN and the tendon
is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 180 mm above the bottom fibre.

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Solution

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 Numerical Problem 3 (Time 30 Minutes)
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 480 mm × 750 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed load
of 320 KN over a span of 7m. Sketch the distribution of stresses at mid-
span and end sections if the prestressing force is 2300 KN and the tendon
is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 230 mm above the bottom fibre.

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63
NUMERICAL PROBLEM 4
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 400 mm × 600 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed
load of 256 KN over a span of 6m. Sketch the distribution of stresses
at mid- span and end sections if the prestressing force is 1920 KN and
the tendon is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 200 mm above the
bottom fibre. Use Principle of internal resisting Couple.

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SOLUTION

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66
NUMERICAL PROBLEM 5
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 300 mm × 550 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed
load of 320 KN over a span of 8m. Sketch the distribution of stresses
at mid- span and end sections if the prestressing force is 2145 KN and
the tendon is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 230 mm above the
bottom fibre. Use Principle of internal resisting Couple.

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SOLUTION

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SOLUTION

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NUMERICAL PROBLEM 6
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross
section 400 mm × 600 mm, is prestressed by parabolic tendon with a
prestressing force of 1920 KN. The tendon has sag of 100 mm at mid
span. Find the extreme fibre stresses by load balancing concept, if it is
subjected to (a) total U.D.L of 256KN, (b) total U.D.L of 360 KN.
Take span= 8 m.

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SOLUTION

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NUMERICAL PROBLEM 7
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 250 mm × 450 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed
load of 296 KN over a span of 8m. Sketch the distribution of stresses
at mid- span and end sections if the prestressing force is 2560 KN and
the tendon is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 180 mm above the
bottom fibre.

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SOLUTION

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74
SURPRISE

TEST

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 SURPRISE TEST, TIME : 40 Minutes
• Design a circular ring beam 500 mm * 1200 mm supported on six columns,
carrying a u.d.l of 150 KN/m inclusive of its own weight. The six columns are
equally spaced and placed on a circle of diameter 8.5 m. Use M 20 concrete and
Fe 415 grade reinforcement.

• A semi circular beam with a radius of 8 m is simply supported at ends, and is

continuous over a column at its middle. The beam Carries a uniformly distributed
load of 35 KN/m on the beam inclusive of its own weight. Determine S.F., B.M.,
and T.M. at salient points, and Plot B.M, T.M and S.F Diagrams.

Er. Mohit Bajaj 76

NUMERICAL PROBLEM 8
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross
section 400 mm × 600 mm, is prestressed by parabolic tendon with a
prestressing force of 1920 KN. If the parabolic profile of the tendon
has an eccentricity of 100 mm at the ends and 200 mm at mid-span.
Find the extreme fibre stresses by load balancing concept, if the beam
carries a udl of 60KN/m. Take span= 6 m.

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SOLUTION

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79
SOLUTION

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NUMERICAL PROBLEM 9
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross
section 500 mm × 650 mm, is prestressed by parabolic tendon with a
prestressing force of 2120 KN. If the parabolic profile of the tendon
has an eccentricity of 120 mm at the ends and 230 mm at mid-span.
Find the extreme fibre stresses by load balancing concept, if the beam
carries a udl of 80KN/m. Take span= 8 m.

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SOLUTION

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 LOSSES OF PRESTRESS

• Pre stress does not remain constant with time

• Even during prestressing of tendons and transfer of prestress there is a drop in
pre stress from the initially applied stress

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 Numerical Problem 8
• A simply supported prestressed concrete beam of rectangular cross-
section 430 mm × 650 mm is loaded with a total uniformly distributed load
of 280 KN over a span of 5m. Sketch the distribution of stresses at mid-
span and end sections if the prestressing force is 1890 KN and the tendon
is (a) concentric (b) eccentric, located at 180 mm above the bottom fibre.

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LOSSES IN PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
• The effective prestress in concrete under goes a gradual reduction with
time from the stage of transfer due to various causes. This is referred
to as loss of prestress

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Loss of prestress is classified into two types
 Short-Term or Immediate Losses
Long-Term or Time Dependent Losses

Immediate losses occur during prestressing of tendons, and

transfer of prestress to concrete member

Time dependent losses occur during service life of structure

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PRETENSIONING

1. Elastic deformation concrete.

2. Relaxation of stress in steel.
3. Shrinkage of concrete.
4. Creep of concrete.

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POST TENSIONING
1. No loss due to elastic deformation if all the wires are simultaneously tensioned. If the
bars are successively tensioned, there will be loss of prestress due to elastic
deformation of concrete
2. Relaxation of stress in steel.
3. Shrinkage of concrete.
4. Creep of concrete.
5. Friction.
6. Anchorage slip. In addition there may be losses due to sudden change in temperature
especially in steam curing of pretensioned units.

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 Immediate Losses include
• Elastic Shortening of Concrete
• When the prestress is applied to the concrete, an elastic shortening of
concrete takes place. This results in an equal and simultaneous
shortening of the prestressing steel. Mathematically, loss due to elastic
deformation
• ∆σ = m.fc Where,
• m = modular ratio = (Es /Ec )
• f c = Prestress in concrete at the level of steel. F1+ F2
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 LOSS DUE TO ANCHORAGE SLIP

In most tensioning systems, when the cable is tensioned and the jack is
released to transfer prestress to concert, the friction wedges employed to
grip the wires, slip over a small distance before the wires are finally
housed between the wedges. The magnitude of slip depends upon the
type of wedge.

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LOSS DUE TO ANCHORAGE SLIP

∆σ = (Es ./L). δ Where,

δ = slip of anchorage, mm

Es = Mod. Elasticity of steel, N/mm2

L = length of cable, mm

% loss is higher for short members than for comparatively longer ones

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 FRICTION LOSS IN POST TENSIONED
MEMBERS
This loss occurs only in the post tensioned members. There are small
frictional losses in the jacking equipment. The friction between tendons and
surrounding materials is not small and may be considered partly a length
effect (wobble effect) and partly a curvature effect. In straight lengths it
occurs due to wobble effect, and in curved lengths, it occurs due to curvature
and wobble effect.

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Po = Prestressing force at the jacking end.
µ = Coefficient of friction between cable and duct (0.25 to 0.55)
α = The cumulative angle in radians through which the tangent to the cable
profile has turned between any two point under consideration.
K = Friction coefficient for wave effect (15 х 10 ^ –4 to 50 х 10^ –4).
e = 2.7183. also
Px= Po[1-(µα + Kx)
Loss of prestressing force, ∆P = Po (µ α + Kx)

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 LOSS DUE TO CREEP OF CONCRETE
Creep is the property of concrete by which it continuous to deform with time under
sustained loads at unit stresses with in the accepted elastic range. This in elastic
deformation increases at a decreasing rate during the time of loading and its total
magnitude maybe several times as large as the short term elastic deformation.
• The strain due to creep vary with the magnitude of stress.
• It is a time dependent phenomenon. Creep of concrete results in loss in steel stress. Loss
of stress due to creep can be calculated by the following two methods
(a)Ultimate creep strain method
(b)Creep coefficient method
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96
RELAXATION OF PRE-STRESSING STEEL
• Relaxation is assumed to mean the loss of stress in steel under nearly constant
strain at constant temperature. It is similar to creep of concrete. Loss due to
relaxation varies widely for different steels and the steel manufacturers based on
test data may supply its magnitude. This loss is generally of the order of 2 to 8% of
the initial stress. This is generally - 1000 hours of referred to at loading at 27o C

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98
NUMERICAL PROBLEM 10
• A post tensioned prestress concrete beam of 30 m span is subjected to
a transfer prestress force of 2500 KN at 28 Days strength. The profile
of the cable is parabolic with maximum eccentricity of 200 mm at mid
span. Determine the loss of prestress. The beam has a cross section of
500 mm × 800 mm, and is prestressed with 9 cables, each cable
consisting of 12 wires of 5 mm diameter. Take Es= 2.1 × 10^5 N/mm2
and Ec=3.5 × 10^5 N/mm2. One cable is tensioned at a time.

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SOLUTION

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ADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
Followings are the advantages of prestressed concrete:
• Thinner slabs, that are important for high rise building as with the same amount of cost, it can

construct more slabs than traditional thicker slabs.

• As the span length is larger, fewer joints are needed than traditional RC structures.

• Because of fewer joints, maintenance cost also becomes reduced during the design life as joints are the

major locus of weakness in a concrete building.

• Long-term Durability.

• Better finishing of placed concrete.

• It requires a smaller amount of construction materials.

• It resists stresses are higher than normal RCC structures and is free from cracks.

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DISADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
Followings are the disadvantages of prestressed concrete:

• It requires high strength concrete and high tensile strength steel wires.

• The main disadvantage is construction requires additional special

equipment like jacks, anchorage, etc.

• It requires highly skilled workers under skilled supervision.

• Construction cost is little higher than RCC structures.

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PRESTRESSING SYSTEMS
• The Magnel Blaton system

• Gifford Udall System

• C.C.L. standard system

• Lee-Mccall system

103
MAGNEL BLATON SYSTEM
• In this system a cable of rectangular section is provided, which contains layers
of wires 5 mm to 8 mm diameter. The wires are arranged with four wires per
layer (up to sixteen layers deep for a cable of sixty four wires). The wires in
the same layer and the wires in adjacent layers are separated with a clearance
of 4 mm. the geometric pattern of the wires is maintained in the same form
throughout the length of the cable by providing grills or spacers at regular
intervals. The grills do not offer any appreciable frictional resistance to the
wires which can be moved relative to each other during the tensioning process.

104
105
GIFFORD UDALL SYSTEM
• This is earliest method in this method the wires are stressed and
anchored one by one in separate cylinder using small wedging grips
called Udall grips. Each grip consists of two half cones. The bearing
plate bears against a thrust ring which is cast into the concrete. The
duct end is encircled by a helix. Anchorages are supplied to suit the
cables of 2, 4, 6 and 12 wires.

106
107
C.C.L. STANDARD SYSTEM
• This is the anchor system where the wires are tensioned individually. As many
wires as may be required (not exceeding 12) are used in a circular cable. The size
of the duct depends on the number of wires – mm diameter for 8 wires - cable and
50 mm diameter for 12 wires cables. An interval of 600 mm spacers are provided
to keep the wires separated and to prevent the outer wires from touching the
sheathing. This not only reduces the friction but also allows satisfactory grouting.
A special C.C.L. anchor grip is used to anchor each wire separately. The anchor
grip consists of steel wedges which fit the over the wire and are recommended in
a steel barrel having a tapered hole.
108
LEE-MCCALL SYSTEM
• This is a system in which high tensile alloy steel bars are used as the
prestressing tendons. These bars are provided in 22 mm, 25 mm, 28
mm and 30 mm diameter and in lengths up to 20 meters. The
anchoring of the bars is done by screwing special threaded nuts. The
nuts bear against a distribution plate provided at the end of the beam.

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110
 Principles of Mechanics
The analysis involves three principles of mechanics.

• Equilibrium of internal forces with the external loads. The compression in concrete
(C) is equal to the tension in the tendon (T). The couple of C and T are equal to the
moment due to external loads.

• Compatibility of the strains in concrete and in steel for bonded tendons. The
formulation also involves the first assumption of plane section remaining plane
after bending. For unbonded tendons, the compatibility is in terms of deformation.

• Constitutive relationships relating the stresses and the strains in the materials

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 REFERENCE
 NilsonandWinter“DesignofConcreteStructures”,TataMcGrawHillPublis
hers
 Pillai & Menon Reinforced Concrete Design, Oxford Publishers
 P.C. Vergese “Limit State Design of Reinforced Concrete ”,PHI
Publishers
 M.LGambhir“DesignofReinforcedConcreteTechnology”,PHIPublishers
A.K.Jain “Limit State Design of Reinforced Concrete”
 Reinforced concrete structures I.C.Syal & A.K.Goel, S.Chand Publisher
VERSION1.0

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THANK YOU

For queries
Email: mohit.uia@cumail.in